If you're like the average guy, you hit up the ATM one to four times a month, according to the market research firm Mintel. What you do wrong while you're there could empty your account

You Pay Fees

ATM fees are on the rise: Bankrate.com reports that banks' out-of-network usage fees jumped 11 percent to $1.57 last year, and the ATM company's fee (a secondary charge) hit a record high of $2.50.

BANK SMART: Use financial institutions that reimburse ATM fees. TD Ameritrade, for example, does this nationwide, says Jeff Weiand, executive VP at RTD Financial Advisors in Philadelphia. So do Ally and Charles Schwab.

Your PIN Is 1234

Two in five cases of debit fraud are the result of lost or stolen cards, according to a First Data report. And having an easy-to-crack PIN is like playing with fire. Nick Berry, the founder of Seattle tech consultancy DataGenetics, crunched 3.4 million combinations and discovered that 20 percent of customers use either 1234, 1111, 0000, or 1212. "People have a staggering lack of imagination," he says.

BANK SMART: Avoid predictable patterns or birthdays. If remembering digits isn't your thing, use a number that syncs up with a memorable four-letter word.

You're Not a Regular

Keep your wallet stocked with bills; you spend less when you use cash and not credit. A New York University study found the mere presence of a credit card logo made people willing to spend 10 percent more at a restaurant.

BANK SMART: Manage your expenses with two weekly trips to the ATM, "once on Monday for the workweek, and once on Friday afternoon for the weekend," says Delia Fernandez, a certified financial planner in California. "Then limit your spending to the cash you have on hand."

You Skip the Receipt

The more you know about where your cash is going, the harder it is to spend. In the same NYU study, people who added up individual items in a meal had a much better idea of the meal's cost than those who were asked to estimate the overall bill.

BANK SMART: Take the time to review your expenses whenever you can. That way, says study coauthor Priya Raghubir, "you'll be able to control them more."

You're Too Trusting

Today's thieves can rig ATM card slots with readers to collect data from your card's magnetic strip. "Skimming," as it's called, is on the rise, says Edward Lowery, head of the U.S. Secret Service Criminal Investigative Division.

BANK SMART: Quickly check the ATM, especially if it's not in a bank lobby. "Shake the card reader to see if it's loose, scan for scratches that could indicate tampering, and look around for an illicit camera," says Lowery.